Q-Tip - The Renaissance: Album Review
Q-Tip, The Renaissance (Universal Motown (heh), 2008)
Can you believe it's been damn near 10 years since a label let Q-Tip put out an album? It's been even longer since he put out something ridonkulous like two out of the top five of us bloggers' favorite rap albums evar, as I recall. He's definitely had the time to put together a decent album. Let's see if he actually did.
JOHNNY IS DEAD
The opening line, where Tip spits, among other things, "What good is an ear if a Q-Tip isn't in it?" is a trip. It's right out of one of those classic Tribe albums. The production calls to mind Beats, Rhymes, and Life, but with more of a live edge.
WON'T TRADE
One of these records where an MC duets with a vocal sample that rears its head every eight bars or so. In this case, it's a woman shouting, "I won't trade it for nothing." Dig how filthy these drums sound.
GETTIN' UP
The fact that this was released as a single lets you know this is gonna sell 8,000 copies, disappear, and we're probably never gonna hear from Q-Tip again. It's fine for what it is. I'm just saying.
OFFICIAL
Another one of these ones that picks up right where Beats, Rhymes, and Life left off. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure this sounds just like one song from that album, even though I haven't heard it in a good 10 years. Maybe even longer. I never listened to it as much when it was new.
YOU
Q-Tip's grown a bit sappy in his old age. Most rap albums have the one requisite song for the bitches. This album has like five of them. And keep in mind, this album isn't very long. Chicks might dig this album, except for the fact that it's good rap music, and you know girls don't like good rap music.
WE FIGHT/LOVE
Maybe a few stank boho black chicks. But this album might be a bit grown and sexy for some of the best pussy out right now. You know it's now legal to bang broads born in the 1990s, right? Er, at least the year 1990.
MANWOMANBOOGIE
Is that one of those Chic basslines? Whatever it is, it's chopped beyond all recognition. It's kinda brilliant.
MOVE
There's a killer transition between the last track and this one, then this one follows the same formula of chopping the shit out of a fairly well-known dance record. And then about halfway through, it switches to this freestyle about how he used to kick freestyles on the train or whatever.
DANCE ON GLASS
You had to know an entire album wasn't gonna go by without any bitching about the state of hip-hop. If you listen closely, you can spot what I'm pretty sure is a dis meant specifically for Soulja Boy.
LIFE IS BETTER
You know some of these songs have been sitting around for a while, if Norah Jones is on one of them. I wonder if Q-Tip hit that. Tip, you dirty dog you. Sadly, she's kinda wasted on this, having been reduced to R&B hook provider.
BELIEVE
Similarly, I wonder if this dates back to the days when D'Angelo wasn't starting to look like Ol' Dirty Bastard. It has to, right? This is too good to be at all recent.
SHAKA
The one where he gets all spiritual and reflective.
COMMENTS: Holy fucking shit is this a good album. It's not the next Low End Theory or anything, but it's still way better than it has any right to be. I don't recall liking Amplified nearly as much. I don't know if it's because my standards are just that much lower 10 years after the fact, or if Q-Tip really is starting to gradually rediscover the plot. It's probably a little bit of both.
BEST TRACKS: "Johnny is Dead" "Move" "Believe"
BONUS VIDEO: "Move"
